wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “issue”
wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →
For “issue”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 4 plugins are pushed down for signals wp.org ignores: errors, a host-installed base, or removal risk.
wp.org search ranks on
Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.
We add
A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether it throws errors on current PHP, whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Alpaca Issue Tracker shows at wp.org #4 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 8869 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) heavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
Contact Form 7 10M+ · 4.0★ (2186)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #5 ↑3 2 too low 4 
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209)
wp.org #7 ↓2 3 too low 5 
Issues and Series for Newspapers, Magazines, Publishers, Writers 2K+ · 4.5★ (73) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 ↓1 2 too high 6 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too low 7 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668)
wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too low 8 
ThumbPress – Compress Images, Manage Thumbnails, Detect Image Issues, WebP/AVIF, Lazy Loading, Hotlinking & More 20K+ · 3.7★ (117)
wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too high 9 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too low 10 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #14 ↑1 4 too low 11 
WP Accessibility 60K+ · 4.8★ (68)
wp.org #10 ↑6 1 too high 12 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #21 9 too low 13 
WP Mail Logging 300K+ · 4.7★ (375)
wp.org #16 ↑2 3 too low 14 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #17 ↓5 3 too low 15 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↑4 2 too high 16 
Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616)
wp.org #23 7 too low 17 
Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #9 ↓3 8 too high 18 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759)
wp.org #18 19 
SVG Support 1M+ · 4.8★ (356)
wp.org #19 20 
Redux Framework 900K+ · 4.4★ (273)
wp.org #20 ↓6 21 
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #24 ↓1 3 too low 22 Alpaca Issue Tracker 100+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #4 18 too high 23 
Flamingo 800K+ · 4.2★ (121) not PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↓2 1 too high 24 
Project Management, Bug and Issue Tracking Plugin – Software Issue Manager 20+ · 4.2★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓2 9 too high Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.